In the late hours of Thursday, September 26, Hurricane Helene made landfall at Keaton Beach (FL). On Friday, downgraded to a tropical storm, Helene made its way up the east coast, leaving a path of destruction through Georgia and the Carolinas. Particularly hard hit was Western North Carolina, with entire towns submerged underwater, and mountain communities turned into islands. 

In the days that followed, as images of the devastation slowly came out and folks desperately tried to contact their loved ones, residents were hampered by telecommunications outages throughout the disaster area. On September 28, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) reported that nearly 75 percent of cell sites in North Carolina’s disaster area were out of service, leaving much of the region without communications services. 

Nearly three weeks after the storm, communities have banded together to aid in recovery efforts. However, the mountains are, in general, rural and sparsely populated, making it difficult to get food, water, and other supplies to residents in need. This is compounded by the destruction of large chunks of roads, hampering transportation and efforts to repair damaged telecommunications, water, and electric infrastructure. 

Helene’s Impact on Infrastructure

Rebuilding from Helene is estimated to require billions of dollars. Here's a quick look at Western North Carolina's infrastructure needs in the wake of the storm.

Telecommunications

Helene dealt devastating blows to telecommunications infrastructure throughout Western North Carolina. On September 28, the day of the FCC’s first Communications Status Report for Helene, nearly three-quarters (74.31 percent) of cell sites in the disaster area were out of service. High winds and flooding badly damaged cell phone towers in the disaster area. Debris and damage to roads slowed operators and technicians in attempts to repair cell towers. As of October 14, nearly 9 percent of cell sites were still out of service. 

Broadband internet service was also impacted by the storm. A spokesperson for Spectrum, the largest provider in the region, attributed much of the issue to power outages. But even once a household has regained power, the network hub for its internet service may still be without power. Furthermore, some hubs have sustained substantial damage and Spectrum cannot estimate when the internet will be fully restored. 

Water

As of October 13, 90,000-100,000 customers served by Asheville’s Water Resources Department are still without water. Officials don’t anticipate water being fully restored for “weeks at a minimum.” Lines at the North Fork Water Treatment Facility, the principal water treatment plant for the system, were destroyed, and the storm also broke backup water lines buried 25 feet underground. Asheville residents who do have running water are under a boil water advisory. 

Power

Hurricane Helene severely damaged large portions of the power infrastructure in Western North Carolina. As of Thursday, October 10, two weeks after Helene made landfall, there were 37,000 households without power, down from 149,000 immediately following the storm. 

Duke Energy, the provider in the region, has classified some areas as complex repair zones—“These areas experienced extensive damage, including broken poles, downed lines, damaged transmission lines or road access issues”—and others as disaster rebuild zones— “These areas encountered significant damage and will require new poles, lines,electrical equipment, buildings and infrastructure. Temporary restoration solutions are under development.” Households that do not fall into one of those categories should have power restored by the end of October. 

Daily Life in the Wake of Helene

In the wake of the storm, Western North Carolinians have been left reeling. At least 120 people have been confirmed dead. Countless people have lost their homes. Hundreds of roads are closed, and Interstates 40 and 26 were severely damaged by mudslides—and have no timeline for reopening. 

Tens of thousands of residents are left without power or running water. Relief groups are providing potable water, but residents describe using Wet Wipes to bathe, and filling buckets from ponds and streams to flush toilets. 

Many schools will be closed for weeks or months, and residents fear that the aftermath “might be as devastating for student learning as COVID.”

Through all of this, residents of the diverse area say the community has come together. CCG Consulting's Doug Dawson, an Asheville resident, said,

“There is always a bright side to balance out gloom and doom. We’ve been having neighborhood cookouts to make sure that everybody gets some hot food. Neighbors are all helping neighbors, and there is a renewed sense of community. I’ve met and made new friends that will long outlast any bad memories of the storm.”

However, there is a long road ahead for Western North Carolina. Fall leaves on the Blue Ridge Parkway (now closed indefinitely) and winter holidays in charming mountain towns usually draw thousands of tourists every year. The historic Biltmore House, which draws 1.7 million visitors a year, is also closed indefinitely. Visit North Carolina Executive Director Wit Tuttle estimates that Western North Carolina could miss out on as much as $1.8 billion in tourist revenue this fall and winter. 

The Road to Recovery

Rampant online misinformation has hampered recovery efforts. Buncombe County Spokeswoman Lillian Govus said social media rumors spreading in North Carolina have created "a really big obstacle for us to overcome." At a national level, misinformation about the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which has paid out over $99 million in aid in North Carolina so far, has become a problem for the agency. FEMA briefly had to pause operations after an armed man threatened officials. After Elon Musk falsely claimed on X that FEMA was not allowing supplies to be delivered, FEMA Chief Deanne Criswell said the misinformation is the "worst" she's ever seen.

Moving forward, recovery in Western North Carolina will be a slow process. Huge portions of the region need to rebuild from catastrophic damage, and the lives, history, and culture that were lost in the storm can never be replaced. 

Locals and officials encourage folks to support the economy of Western North Carolina by shopping from local stores online—and, once towns have reopened and locals have the resources they need, to once again visit the beautiful North Carolina mountains.

More in this Series

• Milton's Four Horses Ride Through Florida

See More on North Carolina's Broadband Priorities

• American Rescue Plan Helping North Carolina Complete Access to Broadband
• A Vision and a Mission for Digital Equity in North Carolina
• North Carolina's Approach to Digital Equity and Education
• Connections and Collaboration in the Mountains

Follow North Carolina broadband news

Zoë Walker is a Writing Associate at the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society.

The Benton Institute for Broadband & Society is a non-profit organization dedicated to ensuring that all people in the U.S. have access to competitive, High-Performance Broadband regardless of where they live or who they are. We believe communication policy - rooted in the values of access, equity, and diversity - has the power to deliver new opportunities and strengthen communities.

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